that's some law of reverse gravitation. it's been a lousy strategy, if it's a strategy at all, if you can even call it that. but in recent years, let's just say it's been really horrific. think about it. for the last five years, the middle of 2007 and 2012, s&p declined by 9%. when you look at the benchmark's performance over the first decade of the new millennium, s&p was down 24%. though you only did lose 9% in those ten years when you factor in reinvested dividends, which is why i'm always telling you to own some high yield dividend stocks. even factoring dividends, you were better off hiding money in a mattress than buying and holding. the strategy didn't work. let me give you some advice that you almost never hear. i want to talk about a forbidden term. some say it's a curse word. marks me as a charlatan. i want to talk about selling. selling. every stock you buy you should consider comes with an expiration date. again, radical. knowing when to sell those stocks is every bit as important as knowing when to buy the stoc